This shout out goes to the lovely lady in New Zealand who thought the "Walt Whitman" was the coolest journal ever. Thanks Sarah for your purchase. My books have now gone global, small scale, but global nonetheless!!!
If anything could be the "Father of free verse" other than Whitman, it would be this journal. Its ruggedness inspires the mind to write or draw or create whatever is real to us. "When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd, And the great star early droop'd in the western sky in the night, I mourn'd, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring." ("When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd, from Memories of Lincoln, Walt Whitman)

Thanks again Sarah, I am sure your husband will love this journal.

Why I Love NYC

So, after a cold winter and never wanting to leave the apartment because of extreme cold and rain, the sun comes out, and the flowers bloom and spring arrives. And what is my favorite thing about spring in NYC????? The open air markets of course.

Nothing makes me happier on a sunny spring day than to meander through the greenmarket with all its booths, picking out fresh produce and yummy baked goods. Most of all, I drool over the fresh artisan cheese that I can't eat because it is unpasterized, but you can bet your sweet bippy as soon as this baby is out, I am eating brie, stilton, chevre, and every other soft, moldy, and unpasterized cheese I can get my hands on. Until then, I will go on enjoying my baked goods at the market. What are my favorite markets you might ask? Union Square and Grand Army Plaza of course.

Just today I wandered around the Union Square Market and bought myself the most delicious blueberry muffin and sampled whipped honey from upstate (unpasterized. OOps) The other thing I love about the market is the apple selection. I love how the apples look real, and not waxy/shiny. Like they just came off the tree....and they probably did. If you don't frequent the markets, do yourself a favor, and start. The homemade dounuts are to DIE for.

Drum roll please..........IT'S A BOY!!!!

So after 5 months of anticipation, 3 months of hoping its a girl, and 2 weeks of baby kicking, we found out this morning that the baby is a boy. I won't lie, I was a little dissappointed. I really had my heart set on a girl. I tried not to get my heart set on anything, but how can you not with super cute baby girl clothes out there.

But I am ok. I am happy its a boy. Not ecstatic, but happy. I even teared up a bit when they showed us his face. My little cowboy, not even a pound yet. We've already picked out a name, but I will save it for a grand unveiling when he comes. This will be the first Donkin grandson, so that's pretty exciting. Andy is beyond pleased. Another man in the house, he says. I'll keep you updated on his progress. So far the doctor says that all the organs are there, they look good, and now they just need to grow. Grow little man, grow.

Thank you Oklahoma

Just a quick shout out to the woman who bought the Lewis and Clark journal. She was so extatic about the book. She said, and I quote:

Dear Shiloh,
I have received the book and it is marvelous. Better than I imagined; very good craftsmanship! Thank you so very much for making and selling this beautiful journal.
Chera

No, thank you Chera. Slowly but surely my books are getting out there, and ya know what, it feels real good.

Sweet Granola Goodness

When my dad was a kid, his parents made him eat hot cereal (oatmeal, cooked wheat, etc.) everyday. As a result, my dad doesn't touch hot cereal if he can help it. However, his new breakfast food of choice didn't fall very far from the tree, so to say. He started making the cold version of oatmeal, granola. My dad has been making granola for as long as I can remember. Lucky for me, my parents didn't subject me to one or the other (hot or cold cereal) so I feel in my adult life, I have learned to appreciate both.

But back to granola. There have been many granola recipes in my family, tried and tested over the years, and while they were all very good, the newest one has caught my attention and carried away my taste buds with it. It not only appeals to my stomach, but it appeals to my desire for healthy, real food. I wanted to share it with all since I love it so much. It is very healthful, low in fat (and what fat there is is the good kind) and high in fiber and other whole grains.

Mom's New Granola

1 1/4 cup Rolled Oats

1/8 cup flax meal

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/4 cup apple juice

2 Tbl Maple Syrup

2 Tbl Honey

Preheat the over to 325 F. In a medium bowl, combine grains and spices.

In seperate bowl, combine liquids (heat in microwave if honey is on the thicker side).

Combine the two mixtures and stir well. Lay out on a cookie sheet (greased cookie sheet) and bake 15 minutes. Stir, and bake for 8 (or so) more. Take out to cool. Stir and break

up often to keep from hardening in one big lump mass.

Add dried fruit and nuts if desired. Serve with milk, or yogurt (my favorite!)

MY VARIATIONS: So flax meal is a wonder food full of antioxidants and fiber, plus it has this really great nutty flavor, I add twice the amount.

I am a nut. Sometimes I don't have maple syrup so I do all honey.

And sometimes I have reduced sugar syrup (because the full sugar stuff

gives me a headache) so that works too. Though the best option is

obviously REAL maple syrup, if you happen to have it on hand.

We discovered we are more pleased with the end result when

I go easy on the nutmeg. Too much is overpowering. I usually add

more salt than a pinch, but whatever, pretend I have huge fingers

so my pinches are abnormally big. My favorite add-ins are

dried apricots, chopped up, toasted almonds (I buy unroasted sliced

almonds and toast them in the over with the cooking granola), dried cranberries

or craisens, and toasted and salted sunflower seeds. We love eating it

mixed in with yoplait yogurt, and though I have never tried it,

I hear greek yogurt is the best there is. Something to try.

You may also cook it a little longer if you like it a bit more crunchy, just know

it gets harder when it cools, but I generally let mine cook a little longer than

the time I stated.

If you try out the recipe, let me know what you think and any variations you may take. I am always up for trying different versions of my favorite things.

The First Kick....

(so this is the most pregnant picture I have of me, you can barely tell.
it was taken 2 weeks ago, and I have grown considerably since, but my camera is
in the shop being repaired so I have no current picks. Sorry. This is Brittany,

Me and Sunny (though you can't see her well) when they came to NYC to see me)

So, I am hovering over 19 weeks. I was told that anywhere from the 17th week to the 21st week, a soon-to-be mother will feel the first kick. Well, I've been anxiously awaiting this event. See, I have and have had many pregnant friends and when the baby kicks, they often offer to let me feel. I of course accept. Who could resist feeling the kicks of some other worldly creature living in the belly and living off of the daily food and breath of a friend? But, the thing is, the babies all seem to know when I am trying to feel it and no matter how patient I am, they cease to kick. After an experience last week trying to feel Susanna's baby kick, I decided that my first baby kick I feel will probably be my own.

Well, today was the day. I thought being pregnant would be more real once I knew the sex of the baby (May 21st) but today, this little miracle (cliche I know) became real to me. I had just woken up, and I was stretching. Well, as usual, my belly was a bit itchy and I began to scratch, and then all of a sudden, baby made his/her presence known. I couldn't believe it, so I gave him/her a push back to see if we could interact a bit, and to my surprise, it kicked again. As sappy as this is, I almost started to cry. Not pouring tearing and uncontrolable sobs, but the "single tear" type cry. I was so excited. What previously has been a nuisance, causing me to feel sick, making my running a difficult task, and causing my favorite skinny jeans to be retired has now, in my mind, become a baby, and not just any baby, but mine and Andy's. Something from the both of us, and its there, kicking and floating about in my ever growing stomach.

I don't mind so much anymore that my favorite jeans don't fit. I don't mind so much that I can't finish my run like I used to. I don't mind so much that I have to get up 2, sometimes 3 times in the night to relieve my bladder. Its funny how I can feel like to opposite of a mother, and wonder how in the world I can raise a child when I don't feel any draw to children, and even question why I got my self into this "mess" in the first place. But then I see how happy Andy is when he finds out I am pregnant, and then the baby kicks, and lets me know its there, and then all the doubts and concerns seem to subside. I CAN do this and I will. Slowly but surely, one at a time, those motherly instincts, those God given gifts given to mothers will start to grow and develop. The desire to be a mother has started to nestle itself in my mind and my heart and while I still have my aprehensions, as any reasonable person would, I know I can do it, and that I am not alone in this matter, I have many wonderful people around me who are there to offer their love and support.

(my mom and me on the Ferry to Ellis Island)

So on that note, I want to thank my mom for her constant encouragement, her calling to checkup on my baby progress, and her overflowing excitement with the making of baby blankets and not being able to wait a couple more weeks to find out the sex before busting out the baby stuff. I also want to thank a few of my friends who are pregnant, or already have had a baby, who are there to chat and complain to, get advice from, and enjoy this time with. (Annie, Melissa, Susanna) Also, a special shout out to Valerie, who, through all my bad running days, the days when I have to stop at every bathroom on the route, or I just can't run the hill, or I have slowed to a walking run, has stuck by me, and still offered to run with me. She has been a motivator for health and running, while still realizing the need for caution with the baby, and she still agrees to meet me to run, even though I am sure she would rather run a little faster or go a little farther than I currently can do. She has also allowed me to vent through the run, which in turn makes life a little happier in the end. A run and a vent is the best theraputic medicine for me. So thanks for being there through that Val. And last of all, but certainly not the least. No indeed, this thanks goes to the most involved one in the whole thing. Thanks to Andy, my kick "A" husband. Without him, I am sure to have lacked the confidence to go through with any of this. He has believed in me from the beginning, and has encouraged me in the best ways possible. And when I feel like this child is in for it, that I don't have the patience to be a mother, or the compassion to be a mother, he's right there reassuring me that I will and I do. That I have the capabilities to develop what I need to be the best mother I can. Seeing how excited he is about our baby and how happy he gets, the bigger I get, makes a world of difference in my attitude. I know we are in it together, and there is no one else I would rather have. So thank you.

(Andy and I, and old picture, but one of my favorites.)